Love of the Lawless
by Myuit
Summary: The Asura was a wanted criminal and so was he. When both are forced to work together, the fox couldn't have thought him anymore incompatible. Yet somehow, it was always her helping him and him helping her.
1. Chapter 1: Fun for the Fox

**1 | Fun for the Fox**

* * *

The noisy rustling of leaves and snapping of twigs disrupted the tranquil forest as the ruckus continued deeper into the undergrowth. A flock of ruchis scattered as a band of five bandits raced past the trees, laughing at the belief of a successful robbery. After all, there were no signs of anyone tailing them. Little did they know, the very breeze that whipped from behind them was a telltale sign the Asura was on their trail.

Covered by a dull traveler's cloak, Ara was silently riding the wind, running along it as if it was a marble road, while monitoring the bandits' movement below the tree leaves. If not for her stolen possession amongst all the things Ruben had to offer in their bags, the girl would have found less heed to do such a task. After all, her hidden identity was top priority.

Ara gracefully landed on yet another tree branch before running across thin air again, black locks escaping the hood to dance in the wind. Amber and scarlet eyes observed their route before confirming their destination, the base of the El tree.

Within the next fifteen or so minutes, the spearwielder arrived at the sacred tree just some minutes before the bandits, lightly landing on the curved branches of said tree in a crouched position. The thick foliage of iridescent green leaves hid her form well.

The five troubles makers settled in the clearing beside the grand tree, laughing at their success while the girl formed a knowing smile. Her right hand reached out to her right, manifesting her signature spear from the shadows. Raising her arm, Ara aimed the weapon at one certain bag of stolen goods, slung over a masked man's shoulder. With swiftness and precision, the spear pierced the air, tearing through the bag while pinning a loaf of bread to the ground. The items spilled out in a chaotic mess while the bandits were caught off guard.

Without wasting a second, the girl launched herself into the air, landed a handstand on the shaft of her spear, still stabbed into the earth at a 40 degree angle, before cartwheeling from her position to the ground, pulling the spear out with it. To finish off, she whipped the air with the weapon, sending the bread that once stuck to it flying at a bandit's face. The bandits hastily drew their weapons after realizing the situation, except for one cocky fellow who merely brushed off imaginary dust from his black shirt and smirked at the hooded figure. His shaggy brown hair, blue iris, dark skin, and the nasty scar over his other eye was enough for anyone to conclude this man was Banthus. You had to be very ignorant to not realize his face on wanted posters.

"Well, well, it looks like this little twerp made the mistake of messing with me," the male spoke.

"Let me teach you a lesson kid," Banthus continued, bringing forth his great sword.

In truth, the girl could have finished him off in the time he took monologuing, but his arrogance amused her. She _sincerely_ wondered how the burly idiot named Banthus was still not captured. His fighting stance was enough to inform Ara he was an amateur, if not only slightly better.

Banthus charged at the girl who had not moved the slightest. He raised his sword and sent it crashing downwards as the female dodged with ease. Next came two consecutive horizontal slashes in which she backflipped away with the elegance of an gymnast, springing even further back to block the remaining runaway bandits from their path.

They shrunk in response, tentatively looking towards their leader like abandoned puppies, only not nearly as cute. Of course, the man ordered them to seize the stranger. All four readied their blades and two of them instantly charged. Again the girl questioned their title of thieves.

 _They were so slow._

Amusement glinted in her shadowed eyes as she evaded without effort. She moved like a fox—swift, relaxed, and with a coy superiority.

The action successfully taunted the two opponents, sending them in a fit of fury as they slashed recklessly at the ebonette. She moved aside without fail and eventually caused them to charge right into their allies. One being severely injured while the remaining three angrily assaulted the girl to no avail. They missed the cloaked figure no matter what.

Eventually, the girl halted, a little voice in her head calling attention to their lack of time. Grinning deviously, she took all four down with swift swipes of her spear, as if it was child's play.

While the four slumped to the ground, groaning in pain, the ebonette faced Banthus who simply stood there attempting to look smug. Ara only widened her oh-so-innocent grin as she ran at him, keeping her footsteps light and brisk.

As predictable as ever, Banthus swung his great sword horizontally, giving his opponent a lovely platform to land on before she delivered a harsh kick to his face. He stumbled backwards, arms flailing as his back hit against a tree, leaves rustling in his wake. The Asura made another dash towards the now unarmed man who clumsily threw a punch in which his opponent ducked under. Ara slid on her knees into a position and while doing so, sucked the mana from surrounding opponents, or in this case, just Banthus.

 _Mana drain._

Banthus flinched at the sudden loss of energy which gave the swift martial artist enough time to lift herself with a hand and send her legs spinning, crashing into Banthus's stomach. He grunted at the impact while Ara followed up with a quick, precise chop on the nape of his neck. The man collapsed to the ground as he lost conscious, his eyes taking in the playful glint within red and amber orbs before darkness swallowed his vision.

The girl stood, her spear dispersing into black particles as she readjusted the hood to shadow her eyes. She bounced over to the torn bag of possessions which spilled coins, colorful fruits, and the like. Sifting through, the girl retrieved an oriental tassel that she tucked under her cloak. After tying the bandits to a tree and stealing a sparse amount of the goods as reward, her form quickly retreated amongst the undergrowth.

A pair of mismatched eyes followed her but disappointingly enough, lost her behind a tree seconds later.

There was only a red fox, munching on a fresh red apple.

* * *

 **What am I doing, I have summer work to finish and I decide to procrastinate.**

 **So I finally decided to release the first chapter of the rewrite for _The Esper and the Fox_ which, as you can see, is now call _Love of the Lawless_. While I have not advance in writing, I think it's best for me to put something out in order to push myself along. As you can see, there are big (okay maybe not so big for now) changes. I'm currently trying to get other ideas down while trying to even get halfway through summer work. Ahaha...**

 **Anyways, don't expect an update in a long, _long_ , while. Have a nice day/afternoon/night! I should sleep now ahaha...**


	2. Chapter 2: You Again

**2 | You Again**

* * *

The sun traversed the sky like a boat across water, still distant from the west horizon but drawing closer with the sunlight as its cargo. Ara, who had just finished one of her menial tasks, stood at the edge of Elder's forest, distant eyes drawn to the bright orange skies speckled with cotton candy clouds of pink and orange. She believed that no two sunsets were ever the same, which made every one of them fascinating. The Asura was content with the one before her now, although she much preferred the clear sky, when the morning star had touched the horizon, painting the surrounding area in an orange that faded to soft pinks and purples.

Then again, almost any sunset was better than the one four years ago.

A darkening red sky with dense clouds shadowed in ominous purple. A lonely breeze sweeping at the cinders as ear-piercing cries resonated from the burning village below.

It pained the girl to be able to recall the day with burning clarity.

A sudden rustling in the bushes awakened the martial artist from her musings as she sharply turned to confront it.

Out stepped a familiar male figure, garbed in a similarly drab cloak.

"Found you~," he simpered.

Ara had dropped her fighting stance but her muscles still tensed under her seemingly relaxed posture.

Esper, a well known name in the underground with quite the reputation. Ara had heard much about his horrid acts, from human experiments on his targets to murdering his clients. From what she understood, he acted upon his desires and nothing else. The mere thought always drew distaste from her being. She also had absolutely no clue why he followed her in his spare time. When she asked, all he said was that she was 'interesting'.

"Hello again," a wry smile touched Ara's face.

She had absolutely no idea what he thought she was. Sure she was a little infamous herself, no one having obtained more than a sprinkle of information about her even in the underground. But it's not like there aren't other just as mysterious people with obscure backgrounds like her. Why not them?

 _Why not you_ , he had answered.

"So what brings you out here, Asura?" Esper pressed his back against a tree opposite of her. Whatever small amount of black metal plating escaped the cover of his cloak caught the glimmer of the setting sun. He looked normal today, the edge of his mouth quirked up as shadowed irises watched her like a specimen. Last time they met he appeared more frustrated than usual.

"I could ask you the same, but sadly I must get going," Ara chirped in her usual brightness, if only a little forced. She turned to leap, when his hand snatched her wrist. _Hard._

The woman jerked her hand, unsuccessful in freeing it from his hold.

"How rude, leaving so soon."

A statement. Not a question. When was it ever a question.

Ara hid her wince behind another cheerful smile, "Yes, and for that I'm sorry but holding someone back like this is also impolite."

She really hoped he wasn't in the mood to break her bones—not that he's ever done that yet.

"Don't run and I'd be happy to let you go~"

She tapped a finger against her chin, still smiling. "... Fine."

He didn't let go. And she didn't expect him to.

"Liar," She pouted like a child.

"What's gotten this vixen in such a hurry?" He hummed.

"The usual," The Asura hummed back, "What do you want kitty?"

She felt his grip tighten just the slightest at the name and inwardly snickered.

"A little trinket of yours. Small, orange, a little tassel."

Now she stiffened, eyes wide under the shadow of her hood.

He smirked, "Chasing some frivolous thieves for that? How precious must it be, I wonder."

"You sure you got the right girl kitty? My, your eyesight must be terrible" Ara teased.

"I'm absolutely positive."

And then his arrogant face lay mere centimeters away from the swipe of her spear. She swiftly avoided a pulse from his dynamos in turn before dropping her weapon to crumble into nonexistence.

"Welp, see ya never kitty!" Ara swung up a tree and fled, the esper watching her with a mix of amusement and annoyance.

"Interesting."

* * *

Ara landed in another tree, and another before her tired arms ached and she opted to weave through the forest floor. Her heart continued to drum against the walls of her ribcage when she mustered her remaining strength to swing and climb up a thick sturdy tree.

Thank the El he didn't snap her bones.

Still caught in adrenaline and panic, the spearwoman patted down her being for a mic, tracker, anything. When nothing showed, she dipped her hand under the hem of her dress and sighed in relief when she felt the familiar thread of her charm attached to the belt of her shorts. It was the closest thing to her family that she had left after all.

 _Eun?_

 _Don't worry child, his soul is not nearby._

Ara desperately filling her lungs with oxygen as her hands reached for her belt for one of her pouches. The Asura was glad to have them. Said to be crafted from the fabric of space and time itself, they had a rather large holding capacity for their small size and anything taken out was just as good as it was when it was put inside. All that money was worth it.

She slipped her hand inside said pouch with a certain item in mind and out came a vial of glowing magenta liquid encircled by her fingers. The girl popped off the cap and downed the liquid in three gulps.

 _Oh god._

The whole forest seemed to spin as Ara gripped a nearby branch so as to not fall off. Her stomach felt queasy so she ended up screwing her eyes shut.

 _Sorry Eun, I'll have to stay like this a while longer to cover more ground before the sun comes up._

 _Don't push yourself little one._

When it didn't feel like her insides were churning and her mind filled with lead, Ara slowly rose. The dizziness had ceased. It'll take a while to get to Feita. If she was lucky enough, she could run into a caravan or the Cobo Express to take her the rest of the way. Ara began moving again, exchanging the vial for a fresh red apple before tucking the bag away.

* * *

 **Ugh, I suck at dialogue. This'll never be finished I swear. Aside from major procrastination, lack of motivation and school, I wasn't satisfied with certain parts of the plot so... I still have no idea how I'm gonna advance this story. You're better off never looking at this till I have a good half of this story done haha... Have a nice day I guess?**

 **Oh, I wanted to clarify that chap 2 doesn't take place the same day as chap 1, maybe a few days later. The charm I'm talking about in both chapters is the one you see on base Ara's hip, maybe just a bit smaller. I know it's really only shown up to Yama Raja but just pretend she still has it as an Asura for story's sake.**


End file.
